Mac trojan targets game sites to infect users

Virus researchers have spotted a new variant of a Mac trojan that attempts to change a victim computer’s DNS settings.

Analysts at Mac security firm Intego said Friday in a blog post that the latest variant of the RSPlug trojan can be found on websites claiming to offer legitimate game downloads. Until now, the trojan was only appearing on pornographic sites or sites hawking pirated software.

The newest attack scenario works similarly to previous versions of the malware, Peter James, an Intego spokesman, said in the post. In this case, users who follow the link to a rogue game are brought to another download link, which actually is a trojan.

If infected by the malware, computers may have their DNS settings altered, meaning hackers can direct users to anyplace they want.

“We recommend that Mac users download software only from trusted sites,” James said. “The spread of this trojan horse is such that more and more sites will be providing it instead of real software, and it may become increasingly easy to get fooled.”